Jack London Papers
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf8q2nb2xs Online items available Jack London Papers Finding aid prepared by David Mike Hamilton and updated by Huntington Library staff. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Manuscripts Department The Huntington Library 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org © 1980, 2015 The Huntington Library. All rights reserved. Jack London Papers mssJL 1-25307, etc.mssJL 1-25307, mssJLB 1-67,mssJLE 1-3525, 1 mssJLK 1-133, mssJLP 1-782, mssJLS 1-76, mssJLT 1-127 Descriptive Summary Title: Jack London Papers Dates: 1866-1977 Bulk dates: 1904-1916 Collection Number: mssJL 1-25307, etc. Collection Number: mssJL 1-25307, mssJLB 1-67,mssJLE 1-3525, mssJLK 1-133, mssJLP 1-782, mssJLS 1-76, mssJLT 1-127 Creator: London, Jack, 1876-1916 Extent: approximately 60,000 items in 622 boxes Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org Abstract: The collection contains the papers of American writer Jack London (1876-1916) and includes literary manuscripts of most of London's works, extensive correspondence files, documents, photographs, ephemera, and scrapbooks. Language of Material: The records are in English. Access Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. The scrapbooks and photograph albums are too fragile for reading room use. Microfilm and digitized images are available respectively to view these items. Boxes 433 are available with curatorial approval. For more information, contact Reader Services. Publication Rights The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Jack London Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California. Acquisition Information The nucleus of the collection was purchased by Henry Huntington from Charmian London in 1925. Additional groups of material were acquired by both gift and purchase from Mrs. London and later from literary executors Irving Shepard and I. Milo Shepard over many years. Further material has been acquired from other sources; the provenance of these items is noted on the individual folders. Biography Jack London (1876-1916) was an American author best known for his fiction about California, Alaska, and the Pacific. His novel The Call of the Wild is among the most internationally popular works by an American. An autodidact, he directed his thirst for knowledge toward several passions, including sailing, ranching, and photography. He traveled widely, to Hawaii and throughout the South Pacific, through California, Oregon, Nevada, to Korea during the Russo-Japanese war, Mexico during the Mexican Civil War, and London, England, experiences which are reflected in his writing and his photographs. Scope and Content The 622-box Jack London Collection could properly be termed the author's personal archive, because of its size and completeness. With only a few exceptions, the collection contains autograph or typescript versions of almost everything Jack London wrote. Included in the archive are most of the London correspondence files; his literary notes, documents, and contracts; memos and letters regarding the operation of his Sonoma County Beauty Ranch; most of his personal and family papers; his financial records; and his library and photograph collection. The majority of the pieces range in date from 1903 to 1917. The collection includes addenda consisting of a variety of materials acquired from the estate after the initial cataloging of the collection, including publication files and Shepard family materials. Arrangement The Jack London Collection is organized into the following categories: 1. Manuscripts (Boxes 1-115, 429, 432 and Volumes 31-39) Jack London Papers mssJL 1-25307, etc.mssJL 1-25307, mssJLB 1-67,mssJLE 1-3525, 2 mssJLK 1-133, mssJLP 1-782, mssJLS 1-76, mssJLT 1-127 2. Correspondence (Boxes 116-428, 430-431) 3. Irving Stone File (Box 434) 4. Harvey Taylor File (Boxes 435-436) 5. Kittredge File (Boxes 437-442) 6. Documents (Boxes 443-456) 7. Photographic Prints (Boxes 457-463, 511-512) 8. Photographic Positives (Boxes 464-485) 9. Photograph Albums (Boxes 486-505, 513-516) 10. Ephemera (Boxes 518-590) 11. Scrapbooks (Scrapbooks 1-27, Box 517) 12. Broadsides 13. Information files [RESTRICTED] and legacy summary and register (Boxes 591-593) 14. Jack London Life Mask (Box 594) 15. Addenda Photograph Album (JLP 607) Photographic Negatives, Positives, and Prints (Boxes 595-600) Publication Files (Boxes 601-614, 617) Manuscripts and offprints (Boxes 615-616) Ephemera (Box 618) Oversize (Box 619) Correspondence, Manuscripts (Box 620) Shepard Family materials (Box 621-622, JL 26299, JL 26300) Map of Jack London Ranch area (JL 25307) Alternative Form of Materials Available Visit the Huntington Digital Library to view digitized items from this collection. Related materials in the Huntington Library Jack London's personal library is housed in the Rare Books Department of the Huntington Library. Additional materials, not acquired from the Jack London Estate are cataloged separately, including the papers of Joan London Miller, the daughter of Jack London: • Joan London papers (mssMI 1-1474) Personal Names London, Jack, 1876-1916 -- Archives. London, Charmian -- Archives. Subjects Authors, American - California - Archives. Genre Personal papers -- United States -- 20th Century. Contracts -- United States. Ephemera -- United States. Financial records -- United States. Letters (correspondence) -- United States. Manuscripts for publication -- United States. Photographs. Photograph albums. Additional Contributors London, Charmian. Shepard, Eliza London. Jack London Papers mssJL 1-25307, etc.mssJL 1-25307, mssJLB 1-67,mssJLE 1-3525, 3 mssJLK 1-133, mssJLP 1-782, mssJLS 1-76, mssJLT 1-127 Manuscripts Manuscripts Physical Description: 115 boxes Scope and Content There are nearly three thousand separate manuscripts and manuscript notes in the Jack London Collection. As could be expected, the majority of the manuscripts are those written by Jack London himself. However, a significant number of the manuscripts in the collection were written by other persons: Charmian London, Sinclair Lewis, George Sterling, or others who sent London their work for his commentary or were paid to dramatize Jack London stories. A complete listing of all the manuscripts in the collection is available in the Jack London Register of Manuscripts -- a separate, bound volume located in the reference stacks or by request from the Manuscripts Department. However, in summary, the collection contains written notes, typewritten or holograph versions of almost everything Jack London wrote. The following books are represented in the manuscript collection: The Abysmal Brute, The Acorn Planter, Adventure (including the notes), The Assassination Bureau Ltd., Before Adam, Burning Daylight, Cherry (including a number of variant versions augmented by Charmian London and Jack London's original holographic version), The Cruise of the Snark, Dutch Courage ("Whose Business is to Live" only), Hearts of Three, The House of Pride (including some original artwork for "Koolau the Leper"), The Human Drift ("Nothing That Ever Came to Anything") and "A Classic of the Sea" are not included), The Iron Heel, Jerry of the Islands, John Barleycorn, The Kempton-Wace Letters (incomplete), The Little Lady of the Big House, Lost Face ("Flush of Gold" is not included), Love of Life ("Love of Life" and "The Story of Keesh" are not included), Martin Eden, Michael, Brother of Jerry, Moon Face (only "All Gold Canyon" and "Planchette" are available), The Mutiny of the Elsinore, The Night-Born (except "Winged Blackmail" and "Under the Deck Awnings"), On the Makaloa Mat (except "On the Makaloa Mat"), The Red One ("The Hussy" only), Revolution and Other Essays ("The Dignity of Dollars," "The Golden Poppy," "The Shrinkage of the Planet" and "Foma Gordyeeff" are not included), The Road, The Sea-Wolf, Scorn of Women, Smoke Bellew, A Son of the Sun, South Sea Tales, The Star-Rover, The Strength of the Strong (except "The Enemy of All the World" and "The Dream of Debs"), Theft, The Turtles of Tasman (except "The First Poet"), The Valley of the Moon, War of the Classes (Table of Contents and Preface only), White Fang, and A Wicked Woman. London's manuscripts are arranged by title for each individual piece however. Thus a short story collection such as The Son of the Sun is scattered throughout the manuscripts according to the title of each individual story. Jack London Papers mssJL 1-25307, etc.mssJL 1-25307,The mssJLB collection 1-67,mssJLE is also 1-3525,rich in manuscript material 4 mssJLK 1-133, mssJLP 1-782, mssJLSwritten 1-76, by Charmian mssJLT 1-127 London. Included are a number of manuscript versions of The Book of Jack London, Our Hawaii, The Log of the Snark and Charmian's ending to Eyes of Asia (Cherry). Other notable manuscripts include Charmian's notes for "Us" which later became The Book of Jack London. Also notable are her diaries from 1900-1947. The diaries were previously restricted and readers